Finger painting has, for many years, enjoyed great popularity among children in particular as well as others seeking to enjoy artistic and amusement activities. In its simplest form, finger painting or finger art as it is often referred to is carried forward using a plurality of somewhat viscous differently colored paint materials together with a convenient painting surface such as paper sheets or the like. The activity is very straight forward and simple in that the participant simply places some of the viscous paint material upon one or more fingers and thereafter massages it upon the painting surface. While such finger painting activities are extremely enjoyable, they are often equally messy and require cleanup of both the participant's hands and fingers as well as surrounding areas which have become subjected to the paint material. Practitioners in the art have endeavored to provide finger painting apparatus which reduces or renders less arduous the cleanup associated with finger painting activities. Thus, practitioners have provided a variety of finger painting aids. In addition, in a somewhat related arm, practitioners have provided various painting gloves which are utilized for more serious painting efforts and which provide for application of paint to a hand rubbed surface. In another related art, glove apparatus have been provided which provides for dispensing or squirting of liquid materials as the user manipulates one or more digits of the hand.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,099 issued to Tollin sets forth a FINGER PAINTING DEVICE having a plurality of cup members bearing paint or marking substances attached to the tip of the user's finger by a finger tip receptacle. The user is then able to stamp or imprint the target surface using the finger tip cap which has been saturated with the paint or other material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,897 issued to Lefkowitz, et al. sets forth a PAINTING GLOVE suitable for wearing upon a painter's hand as a substitute for a paintbrush. The glove consists of a material appropriate for paint application and is fitted with a removable liner therein. A paint reservoir is supported upon the upper surface of the painting glove and is coupled to a plurality of downwardly extending tubes positioned between the digits of the paint glove.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,251 issued to Davis sets forth a HAND WORN DISPENSER formed of a thin walled protective glove having a self-contained palm receptacle for storing various materials to be dispensed from the receptacle in response to the wearer's compressing or agitating. The receptacle includes outwardly extending conduits supported proximate each finger and thumb of the glove and coupled to the palm reservoir.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,856 issued to Kimble sets forth a TOY WEB SHOOTING GLOVE having a glove apparatus coupled to a can of string foam material by a flexible conduit. The flexible conduit terminates at the glove palm and includes a trigger mechanism for dispensing the web material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,208 issued to Wilson sets forth a WATER CANNON APPARATUS having a fluid storage tank and torso belt for support thereof together with a glove member worn upon the user's hand. A fluid conduit is coupled between the storage tank and the glove together with a trigger mechanism supported within the glove.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,771,224 issued to Boerger sets forth a HAND CARRIED LIQUID DISPENSER having a liquid reservoir defining a projecting nozzle and having means for securing the reservoir to the outer surface of the wearer's hand such that the nozzle extends between the wearer's fingers. A trigger mechanism operates as the user manipulates his or her hand to dispense the liquid material through the nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,235,350 issued to Anderson sets forth a LOTION DISPENSER having a bracelet-like housing receivable upon the user's wrist and defining an interior cavity therein. The interior cavity receives lotion which is dispensed through a dispensing aperture in the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,161,719 issued to Norton sets forth a MASSAGE GLOVE having a plurality of liquid filled cavities at the distal points for each digit. The liquid filled cavities define apertures for slowly dispensing liquid therefrom as the user massages a surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,864 issued to Sirhan sets forth a GLOVE AMUSEMENT DEVICE including a liquid storage apparatus, a glove and an umbilical cord connecting the two. The storage apparatus includes a battery powered pump and a trigger mechanism on the glove controls the flow of liquid through the umbilical member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,681 issued to Dean, et al. sets forth a FLUID ACTION TOY WORN BY USER having a glove supporting a water housing on the outer surface thereof together with a battery powered pump. A pair of actuators are mounted on the thumb sheath and the forefinger sheath of the glove which when brought together cause the pump mechanism and operate and squirt the liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,922 issued to Thometz sets forth a MULTICOLORED AIRBRUSH ATTACHMENT SYSTEM HAVING A SPIRAL MIXING CHAMBER AND A WRIST/ARM-MOUNTED PAINT RESERVOIR in which an air brush is provided with a mixing chamber and a plurality of paint conduits to provide paint color mixing during spraying.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,528 issued to Arraval sets forth a FINGER OPERATED DENTAL CARE IMPLEMENT having a finger supported toothbrush and a palm held bulb filled with dental hygiene material such as toothpaste together with a conduit therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,611 issued to Noll sets forth a BINGO CARD MARKER having a ink nib supported upon the user's finger and a pressure responsive valve coupled thereto together with a flexible conduit extending from the valve to a wrist supported ink reservoir.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,688 issued to Jones sets forth a FLUID CONTAINING COVERS WITH ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS having fluid chambers securable to a patient's outer skin and having one or more electrical connections to an external electrical apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 859,606 issued to Klove sets forth a MOISTENING DEVICE having a liquid dabber securable to a ring worn upon the user's finger.
U.S. Pat. No. 774,558 issued to Browne sets forth a MOISTENER FOR GUMMED SURFACES having a liquid reservoir securable to the wearer's hand and a finger tip element together with a conduit coupling therebetween.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have provided improvements in their various arts, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved, interesting and entertaining finger painting apparatus.